TunaBluefin tuna

Details

  • Latin name: 
    Thunnus thynnus
  • Seafood type: Tuna
  • Harvest method: Pelagic longline, Purse seine, Troll, Various
  • Region: Worldwide
  • Wild/Farmed: 
    Wild
Status: 
Not Recommended

Bluefin Tuna

Credit: FAO
Sustainable alternatives: 
Skipjack, Bigeye or Yellowfin tuna caught using pole/troll is a sustainable seafood alternative.
Sustainability concerns: 
Bluefin tuna have been and continue to be overexploited, worldwide. Regulation of bluefin tuna fisheries is considered inadequate to prevent further population declines. Longline fisheries for Bluefin capture endangered sea turtles and albatross.
Notes/other details: 
The Environmental Defense Fund has issued a health advisory for bluefin tuna due to elevated levels of mercury and PCBs.
Bluefin tuna have been severly overfished in all the world’s oceans. Bluefin tuna populations have been listed as Critically Endangered and Endangered on the IUCN Red list of threatened species.
Life History and Population Status: 
Bluefin are slower to mature than other tuna species and many individuals are captured before they have had a chance to reproduce. Atlantic and Southern Bluefin populations are overfished and the Pacific Bluefin population is being moderately overfished. All three populations have experienced severe declines and the stock status of all Bluefin tuna is considered to be of high concern.
Management: 
Management measures have been ineffective in stabilizing stocks and preventing the further decline of Bluefin tuna populations. Total allowable catches are set too high and often exceeded. Increases in minimum catch size have reduced high fishing mortality of juveniles but catch limits are still well above levels that can be sustained.
Impact on Other Species: 
Tuna longline fisheries catch high numbers of finfish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. Troll/poll fisheries have minimal bycatch. Little is known about the bycatch for Bluefin purse seine fisheries but it is thought to be moderate.
Habitat and Ecosystem Impacts: 
Gear used in capturing Bluefin tuna has minimal habitat impacts. The removal of Bluefin tuna, a large predatory fish, may have a significant impact on marine food-web dynamics.

Notes:

  • No or little concern in this area.
  • Significant concern in this area.
  • Area under study.